Automatic range tracking circuit



E. FwM NlCHOL, JR

AUTOMATIC RANGE TRACKING CIRCUIT Dec. 4, 1951 Filed May 5, 1944 RECEIVER TRA NSM/ T TER A BL oc/r/ N6 1P1:

' OSC/LL A ran I INVENTOR. D F MACN/CHOL JR.

BY ,ce/

Patented Dec. 4, 1951 UNITED: STATS signor, by mesne assignments, to the. United States aa. a r sent a as Sa ge Application May. 5, 1944, Serial No. 534,310 1 Claim. (Cl. 3 47) This invention relatesto a communication system and particularly to an automatic range tracking portion of a radar system. Radar sys tems have been designed in which a directional anten way m b t a fie u ia etan 5 wherein means are provided for giving an indication of the instantaneous range of a selected target. Thus in anti-aircraft systems it is not only necessary to keep, a target detecting. system trained upon a certain target, but it is also necessary. to control the eficti ve, range of fire, in accordance with variations of the range of the target.

In systems of this type, it has, hitherto been the practice to provide ablockinfggate ahead of and behind the desired target echo, the blocking. gates being disposed with reference'to time. The"de-' sired target echo has then been utilized as 'a source from which error voltages may. be derived so that the system hunts" continuously for the precise range corresponding" to the target echo. Aspart of the system, the eating action hasre quired variable width multivibrators and involved complicated circuits having precise. and fast operating characteristics;

In comparison to the above, this invention merely requires a fixed gate whose position along the range axis is controlled by the derived error voltage. The target'echo whose range is desired to be automatically and continuouslyl indicated is framed or bracketed with this one gate.

Reference will now be made. to the drawing wherein Fig. 1 is ana ra part y; n'blocks and partly in wiring detail f a j Stenieinbody'ingi this invention; and'Fi'g'. 2 diagram sh the'relationship ofvoltage curve I Inasmuch as the system is desrg ed to, be us] with a conventional radar. sys mhaving the usual transmitter, receiver and" ,ctional an} tenna, it will be unnecessary"to describsuch system in detail. In general, the antenna s 40 may be controlled by suitabl miiiiha mfeither, manual or automatic, for training and elevation upon'adesire'd target mitter may be connected to the ante a a ply the same with energy periodic interl ls determined b th Pulse 'epei i dii fifeqcj nc cf the sys e T s'transmittr ma e her be selfi pulsed or be'controll'ed' by some s all in a manner well kncwnin' th the intervals betweenpulsesfthe v f iectively im iedtdit ie acne an s ada ted to receive target echoes." 3

Referring particularly to Fig. 1 now, an an; term t m '9] 9f am? u tel e rpeis ss n i' l to a tra m te U an e r'er t je'i 've a tenna '0. may be 9 1? tipfel ev la' mIl-i:

tional characteristic. and, if desired, may have means for adjustin the. azimuth and elevation. In accordance with usual practice, 'the'me connecting transmitter ll, receiver [2, and an tenna l0 may have suitable switching means for disconnecting or. desensitizing the receiver'during transmitter operation and may also have means for disconnectin the transmitter from the antenna during the intervals between transmitter operation. 'The latter is for the purpose'off'c'on serving energy received by the, antenna and directing all such energy toward the receiver.

The transmitter may either be self-pulsed or may be controlled by a timer in accordance with usual practice and is adapted to send out a burst of energy for a short period of time and thence be quiescent iora comparatively long period of timefand thereafter repeat the performance. Thus, as one example, the transmitter may have a pulse 'repetition'ireouency of between 1,000. and 2,000 periods per second and may be, on for .5

. microseconds, for. example, and be off the. rest of the period. These values are. exemplary and may be greatl'yfmodified as desired. Transmitter H has a line going to a variable delay "circuit generally designated as 15 whose output is fed to a peaker l5 and thence. onto a clipper [T andthen to a blockingoscillator 20. Blocking oscillator 20 supplies its outputto'a range tracking circuit which is generally desig-.- nated by'ZI. "Range trackin circuitZl has a feedback connection 22 to delay circuit [5, while receiver. l2 may feed its output through a line 25 to range tracking circuit 2 I. Before describing the detailed circuits, a general'description of the system will be given.

Transmitter H is adapted, when it operates, to feed a trigger pulse to variable delay circuit l5; This. trigger. pulse trips delay circuit l5 into operation so that a sudden or steep voltage front is generated at a controlled time after the trigger pulse; The voltage curve generated by circuit is prior. to the final steep front (for ea h cycle) is immaterial. As shownhere, the output; of ciir-i cuit' I5 is generally a rectangular voltage wave with steep leading and trailing Voltagefronts. Circuit l5 may, however, generate an'ordinary sawtooth wave with a trigger pulse starting the saw-tooth and the saw-tooth breaking at a controlled time after the start. In any event, delay circuit [5 may be said. to b initially ered into an unstable condition and then stripped back suddenly'to'its stable condition. Delay circuit iil would normally. trip back to its original stable condition after a lapse of time corresponding to the interval between successive transmitter trig} e iil ti Earne n rac e, delay i t 3 i5 is tripped back to its original stable condition ahead of time by a voltage in feedback 22 from the range circuit at a time when the desired target echo comes into the receiver. Delay cir cuit l5 may generate any kind of a delay voltage curve whose initial point coincides in time with a transmitter trigger pulse and which has a steep trailing edge normally coincident in time with a particular target echo. This delay voltage curve wave is peaked in circuit l5 and if necessary clipped in circuit ll so that a pip corresponding in time to the steep trailing edge of the delay curve is left. This time, as pointed out before, is normally coincident with a selected target echo.

The final pip, fed into blocking oscillator 20, trips the oscillator off and results in a single calibrated gate. This gate preferably has a time duration of the orderof about one-half the duration of the pulse of energy sent from the transmitter to the antenna. This is to be distinguished from the trigger pulse from transmitter to delay circuit |5 which is as sharp as possible. The

grid 43 and ground. The other tube 3| has its control grid 45 biased by means of a resistance 46 connected to bu 40. Control grid 45 is also connected through a coupling condenser 48 back to anode 36 of vacuum' tube 30. Trigger input from transmitter H may be supplied by a wire 50 and coupling condenser 5| to condenser 48.

The operation of this delay system is as follows: Normally, control grid 45 is biased to a positive potential (here B+) so that vacuum tube 3| is conducting. When the entire circuit is in equilibrium, the space current through vacuum tube 3|, by virtue of its conductance, results in a relationship above between gate and pulse duration is merely exemplary and may be varied as will be more fully set forth later. Assuming that the transmitter pulse to antenna Ed at each period has a duration of the order of about .5 microseconds, then the gate output from blocking oscillator 29 may be about .25 or .3 microseconds. This gate is fed to range circuit 2 In general, range circuit 2| has impressed upon it the gate from blocking oscillator 20. This gate i impressed upon the anodes of a pair of vacuum tubes. The selected target echo is fed to one control grid of a tube, while the same echo delayed a short time is passed on to the grid of the second tube. The delay of this echo is preferably equal to or something less than the duration of the gate from blocking oscillator 20 and may, as an example, be something of the order of .2 microseconds, assuming the other figures given as examples are taken. The two vacuum tubes have their outputs impressed in opposed relationship on a condenser.

If the original and delayed target echoes are properly centered or framed in the gate, the average potential across the condenser will be zero or some other definite value depending upon actual circuit details. A direct current amplifier is controlled by the potential across this condenser, and the output of this amplifier i an error potential and is fed by line 22 back to delay circuit l5. that upon the proper framing of the delayed and original target echoes within the gate, the error potential fed back to delay circuit l5 causes it to generate a steep voltage front and return to its original stable condition in time with the reception of a desired target echo. In case the two echoes are unsymmetrical within the gate, then the tendency is for the direct currentamplifier to shift the gate in a proper direction because of its control of delay circuit |5.

The delay circuit shown in i5 is merely an example and comprises a pair of vacuum tubes 33 and 3| having cathodes 32 and 33, respectively, connected by a lead 34. The two cathode are biased above ground by a suitable cathode resistor 35. Anodes 36 and 3'! may be connected through load resistors 33 and 39 to a B+ bus 48. Coming down from 13-}- bus 40 is a potentiometer resistance L whose lower end is grounded and with which a slider :22 cooperates. Slider contact 42 is connected to control grid 43 of vacuum tube 35. A condenser 64 is connected between control The setting of this circuit is such.

drop through resistance 35, and this drop raises the potential of cathodes 32 and 33 above ground. Movable contact 42 on potentiometer 4| is normally adjusted to such a point that control grid 43 is biased below cutofi with respect to cathode 32 of tube 30 on the basis of no-space current in tube 30. Hence the stable condition of the system maintains tube 3| in a conducting state and tube 3|] in a non-conducting state.

Now assume that a negative trigger pulse from transmitter comes in on wire 50. This pulse passes through condensers 5| and 48 and momentarily drops the bias of grid 45 of tube 3| be low cutofi. It is understood, of course, that the magnitude of the trigger pulse is sufficient to accomplish this. The sudden cutoif of tube 3| results in a disappearance of the drop through resistance since no space current for tube 3| is passing through it. This means that the potential of cathode 33 is pulled down sharplyto ground. The potential of cathode 32 is also pulled down to ground, and control grid 43, which was below cutoff before, now is biased above cutofl'.

, Space current through vacuum tube 30 thereupon results. This is the unstable condition. The charging of condenser 48 normally tends to restore the trigger circuit to a stable condition after a lapse of time depending upon the time constant Of condenser 48 and resistance 45 principally. However, the time constant of the grid circuit is so adjusted that the return to stable condition normally would take about all the time between successive transmitter pulses. The feedback from range circuit 2| i applied to control grid 43 and tends to modify the common cathode bias for cutting tube 3! in at a suitable time.

Thus delay circuit I5, as disclosed herein, is a so-called one-shot multivibrator wherein a transmitter trigger trips the circuit to an unstable condition and a controlled potential from the range circuit 2| helps to trip the circuit back to its original stable condition at a set time. Any other circuit for generating a single stee voltage front at a controlled time after a trigger pulse may be used.

As shown in the drawing, and as well known, the voltage at anode 31 of vacuum tube 3| with respect to ground, of course, has a generally rec tangular shape. This voltage may be fed to peaker l6, which, as shown here, consists of a condenser 55 and resistance 56, to ground. The time constant of this combination is small enough so that a sharp voltage pip is produced at each edge of the generally rectangular voltage output of the trigger circuit.

It is understood, of course, that the condenser resistance peaker may be replaced by any other well known device for peaking the output of delay circuit l5. As shown here, however, the output of the peaker is taken across resistance 56 and goes through clipper IT. This, in its simplest .form. m y consists ot a diode to bv-pa p ps S or undesired po r tn. Asshown here. he desired p ns are positive are div r ed. to emound-w as, unnecessary. It, is; unders ood, of; course. that the polarity is unimportant and th if necessary they may be reversed-. However, it. ppens that the pip occurr ng a the tune of.

the target echo is negative in chara er and l f several. oscillations are enerated. su tabl e ec ing means may be provided so, that. the. envelope forms a substantially rectangular voltage, pulse. Instead of a. blocking. oscilla or, a calibr ted. biased multivibrator may be used.

The. output of blocking oscillator 20. is i pressed pon control grid ill of avacuum, ube H connected to function as a cathode follower. Vacuum tube 6| has its anode 62 connected to a suitable source of 3+. potential, while its cathode 63 is connected to a junction point 54 between which and ground two load resistors 65 and 6;! are. disposed. Between control grid of tube 6| and ground a suitable grid resistor Ill may be connected for the purpose of discharging the grid and stabilizing its potential.

Between load resistors and 61 is a junction point 66 from which two leads H and I2 are taken. Lead TI goes to a condenser 13 and thence to cathode 14 of vacuum tube I5. Similarly, lead 12 goes to a condenser 16 and thence to cathode 11 of vacuum tube 18. Cathode 14 of tube 15 is connected through bias resistor to junction point 8| and thence to load resistor 82, to anode 83 of vacuum tube 18. Cathode H of tube 18 is connected through bias resistor 85 to junction point 86. Tube 18 has its control grid 81 connected to junction point. 86 bya suitable grid resistor 88. Control grid 81 is also connected through a blocking condenser 89 back to junc tion 98. Vacuum tube 15' has its control grid 9| connected to junction point Si by grid resistor 92, while the control grid itself is connected through blocking condenser 93 and delay line 94 to junction point 90.

Delay line 94 is adapted to provide a delay of a target echo by an amount determined by the duration of the blocking oscillator gate and the pulse transmitted by the transmitter .to the antenna. As has been pointed out before, the object is to impress upon the grids of two opposed tubes the original and delayed target echo in such manner as. to provide for symmetrical framing within the gate output of blocking oscillator 20. In the event of substantial attenuation in delay line 94, adjustment of the circuit elements may be made to compensate for this. Assuming the figures previously taken for the system, a suitable delay time forline 94 may be of the order of .2 microseconds. With such a short delay, a simple inductance having a certain amount of distributed capacitance may sufiice. However, in the event that a longer delay is essential, the usual delay lines well known in the art may be provided. In any event, it is to be understood. that. assay, line nd ca ed or may be. ind cated. on a a ho eray t o shown:-

Rcierring back. to ran e ir t. 5. tube a hasv its anode 1 1 con ect d back. hr ugh a co p i condens r 116 t ifs-n tion s4. Simir 1a -...ano eli3. o ub :8 s. con e d hr ugh. a coupling condenser l0] back to junction 64... Junction point 8| is connected by lead 108 to. ont ol r .0 of a 1 2-. ampl fier H -v Amplifier i ll h its ano e Ill c nne ed h gh. load, re istor-- I112 o. assur s f 131+- eo e a li -v Amplifier no has t ca hodeon ect d tomovab en act it o a se ie 1 s s anc s U1. and us connec ed-b w en 3+ in :13 and a ne 1.20. Line 2. s c o edt ue i load r si or m to. anod i s of u Wh e a line 12s is. co n c ed om. ju c n as s to po nt 2. this e ng the unc i n between resistances Il a d. M8. Junc i n n. as two c ndensers 23 and c nn o d. between it and ne. I20..- wlth th -conne tion e wee ondens r 23 and I24 bein grounded a Line. I20. connected to the, plate voltage return B isalso connected through a load resists ance I28 to cathode I29, of cathode. follower 1.30, anode. Bl ei g c ected to a. so r 3+ po ent l U Qontr lg id 132 o ca hod ollo r 31 i conne ted. bas s to anode il of ampl fier U11.

Bet en l ne. "i and. gr und condense I33 s conn ct d, this ndenser be ng th ne whose av ra e p e ti l if r nce r es as h on trolling fo ce for determ n ng he p siti of the range. at

Under normal quiescent conditions, resistances H1 and H8 together with junction I22 and po-.. tential of slider [1.6 are so chosen that line [20 is norma y somewhat. ne at ve w s e t. to iunction point 8,1,, Similarly, line I26 is adapted to b no mally somewhat po it ve o J c point. 81- n. o her. words. ve h op a in an e of potent al; o iunotioh po nt .1. he abov relations hold true in the. a ence of a ate on an des 83 and. H15 and an echo puls on h orr sp ndin c tr r ds.- Wi h. er in types o tubes. t. is not. nec ss ry to impr ss a smaller gate on h cathodes. to prev nt c du tion hr u h. the tub s t e. ab ence o a t ret. o pul e on t e corr spond n c n r g id- Wi h. su h tubes, eads l an 2. o ether with c ndens rs l3 and 16 m y b omi e In. der t cont ol. a lo d in. acco danc i h the nge a. s c d targ t. the l a e n l ne. 22 m y be used. Thus sui able er o m ns may e ac a ed.

As h s b en. previously indi a ed. he p eiorr d elati n hi o ga e durati transmi ter puls du ation a d d lay mpos d n el c ed. t r et is such as to provide for the overlapping of these pulses, as shown. Ihus by having the peak oi a selected target echo pulse coincide with the leading edge of the voltage gate and having the delay ho p l c incid i h e ai i edg o h v l ge sa e max mum er o s ns tivity is obtained, Those portions of the echo pulses Outside the voltage gate are ineffectual for range control purposes. But a slight variati n of th r lative pos tions o gate an ulses w l result a, l rge v r tion of no olta available for range control. Since one pulse area under the gate represents one polarity and the other pulse area under the gate represents an opposite polarity for range control, it is clear that the relationship, shown involves a maximum sensitivity. If the pulses were entirely covered by the gate, some shifting would be possible under the gate without a corresponding range 0011- trol variation. While the target delay due to line 94 is somewhat less than the gate duration, there is some additional delay action in various parts of the circuit so that the figures in microseconds given here have actually worked out in practice.

Specifically, the operation of the range gate part of the system is as follows. The positive gate, originally due to blocking oscillator 29, appears at junction point 64, this gate being with reference to ground. From junction point 66 the gate is effectively impressed through condensers I06 and I! upon anodes I and 830i vacuum tubes 15 and 78 respectively. At the same time, from junction point 65, a smaller gate is impressed upon the cathodes of these two tubes. As pointed out before, this is unnecessary with certain types of tubes. The time constants of these circuits for impressing the gates upon the anodes and cathodes of tubes 18 and T5 are preferably large compared to the duration of a gate pulse but small in comparison to the period of one cycle of transmitter operation.

When a selected target echo pulse appears upon control grid 87, after going through block ing condenser 89, a current due to charging action of condenser I 01 passes through tube 78 to the cathode and thence to ground. Load resistance 82 also conduits a current to wire 198 for condenser I33. Thus, after stabilization, the conducting condition of tube it permits condenser IO! to become charged to a certain potential and, disregarding tube 75 for the moment, also permits condenser 33 to. be charged to a certain potential.

During the latter portion of the gate, however, a delayed target echo pulse causes tube 75 to conduct. When vacuum tube 15 is conducting, the potential across condenser I96 is similarly permitted to become more or less stabilized after a few transmitter cycles. 75 conducts, condenser I33 is again connected in series with condenser I06 so that it is permitted to charge or discharge in accordance with circuit conditions. Preferably, the time constant of the circuit from ground through condenser I33 and back to ground is quite long in comparison to the period of a transmitter cycle and may be completed by leakage from wire i 98 and other components to ground. The ideal situation would be if condenser I33 were small and had no leakage path for discharging. Then it would be charged or discharged partly or completely with each transmitter cycle as circuit conditions dictated. It is thus evident that junction point 8| has its potential first moved in one way by conduction of condenser charging current through tube 18 and then moved in the reverse sense by tube 75 when it conducts. By suitable control of the various resistances and condensers, it is possible to have the potential across condenser I33 vary in accordance with the symmetry or lack of symmetry of the echo pulses and gate. The succeeding two tubes H0 and I30 are merely direct current amplifiers with the voltage output for actually controlling range being taken .across cathode H29 and ground.

The curves in Fig. 2 show the variation of When vacuum tube voltage with respect to time. Thus, curve a shows a pulse generated by the transmitter and radiated by the antenna-with an echo returning after a predetermined length of time and a second pulse emitted. Curve b shows the substantially rectangular voltage wave generated by delay circuit I5, this voltage wave being taken at anode 31. As shown by the dotted lines, circuit l5 would normally return to its stable condition after a certain length of time, the entire generally rectangular voltage wave indicating the unstable condition of the trigger circuit. Actually, because of the action of feedback in line 22, the delay circuit is returned to its stable condition normally at a time when a target echo is received. Curve 0 shows the voltage gate generated by blocking oscillator 20, while curve (1 shows a selected target echo as indicated at curve a but delayed by line 94. Curve 6 shows in superimposed form curves 0 and it together with the original selected target echo of curve a.

What is claimed is:

A pulse echo system comprising an antenna,

transmitter to generate periodic energy pulses.

for. radiation and receiver to receive target echoes following each pulse, a delay circuit having a normal stable condition, means for tripping said delay circuit when said transmitter operates so that said circuit assumes an unstable condition, said circuit being adapted to return to its stable condition overa period of time substantially equal to the time between adjacent transmitter pulses, said delay circuit being adapted to generate a delay voltage curve having a steep trailing edge when going through one cycle of operation, means controlled by the trailing edge of said delay circuit output for generating a voltage pulse having a time duration substantially equal to the duration of a transmitter pulse, a pair of three electrode vacuum tubes, means for impressing said voltage pulse upon the anodes of said vacuum tubes, means for impressing upon the control grid of one vacuum tube a target echo normally occurring at the same time as said voltage pulse, means for delaying said echo by a time substantially equal to the duration of said voltage pulse, means for impressing said delayed echo on said other control grid, means for combining the outputs of said tubes differentially to obtain a net voltage whose magnitude and polarity is a function of the relative position of said voltage pulse and said two echoes and means for impressing said net voltage upon said delay circuit in a manner to control the return of said delay circuit from its unstable to stable condition on succeeding cycles so that said system tends to maintain said two echoes symmetrical within said voltage pulse.

EDWARD F. MACNICHOL, J R.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,924,174 Wolf Aug. 29, 1933 2,304,545 Clement Dec. 8, 1942 2,403,975 Graham July 16, 1946 2,404,399 Pickles July 23, 1946 2,422,074 Bond June 10, 1947 2,433,667 Hollingsworth Dec. 30, 1947 2,445,584 Ramo July 20, 1948 2,495,753 Mozley Jan. 31. 1950 

